Page 3 of Christmas Secrets

“What did ye do to the lass, Bo?” Joe asked with a chuckle, patting the dog’s head. Misty whined and stuck her nose under Bub’s hand and both men chalked it up to “that time of the month.”

Dottie suddenly glimpsed the two men with the dogs in her rearview mirror just as she took off. Where had they come from? And had they heard her yelling? Embarrassment flooded through her and she failed to avoid the patch of ice just before the entrance of the tree-lined lane that led out of Neamh and back to the main road. Suddenly she was fighting with the wheel, trying to turn it into the direction of the slide when her red SUV with Ben driving came out of the head of the lane and she was heading for a broadside collision.

***

“Cripes,” Ben sworeas he swiftly gunned the SUV to the right, trying to get out of the way of Dottie in his pick-up truck. He hadn’t been expecting to meet someone sliding into his side of the lane and his heart rate accelerated as adrenaline kicked in. How they managed to avoid colliding he wasn’t sure, but he sent a prayer heavenward as he went for the snowbank. Things were tight and the last thing he needed was for Dottie to be hurt and in the hospital, or for a huge repair bill for one or both of their vehicles.

As he came to a sudden halt when the side of the SUV nosed into the snowbank, Dottie’s ride suddenly went into a slow spin which brought the back of the pick-up facing the rear of the SUV with about six inches to spare between them. He slumped in relief, then slammed his door open to check on his wife.

He could see her leaning on the steering wheel as he ran as swiftly as conditions would allow to the driver’s door and tried to open it. It was locked.

“Dottie!” he shouted at her and banged on the window, happy to see there wasn’t any blood, but her eyes were closed and her body was shaking. “Dottie! Open the door, honey.”

Finally, she lifted a shaking hand and hit the unlock button. When he opened the door and reached in to pull her into his arms, she started sobbing against his shoulder.

“Are ye all right, honey? Where does it hurt? Did ye hit yer head?” He pushed her back so he could see if any knots were forming on her face. He didn’t see anything but that didn’t mean she hadn’t been hurt. He could see Joe and Bubs running towards them with the dogs leading the way. Concern was etched on their faces.

“I-I’m good, Ben, just shaken up,” Dottie babbled, stroking a fall of blond curls behind her ear. “I-I didn’t see the icy patch...my tire caught it and spun me around. Oh gawd...I almost hit ye,” she sobbed, grabbing the front of his jacket.

“Everything all right here?” Joe asked as he and Bubs arrived, their breath puffing white in the cold air.

“Aye, Joe,” Ben replied. “Dottie just hit an icy patch but no one’s hurt, thank the mercies.”

Bubs pointed a gloved finger towards the SUV tilted sideways. “Ye’re going to need some help getting yer car out of the snowbank though. Ye drove her nose in pretty good.”

“I did at that,” Ben admitted ruefully. “Better the snow than my pickup though.”

“We’ll get the winch and chain,” Joe said. “We can use yer pickup to haul out yer SUV.”

“Thanks, lads.” Ben turned back to Dottie as the men headed for the barn. “Ye sure ye’re all right, honey?”

Dottie took a deep calming breath. “Aye, I’ll be fine. But what are ye doing here? I thought ye were working with the sheep at Thistlewind.”

“I was, but I ran low on jabs fer the last of them. I called Dad at the hospital and he told me there was some in his office and to grab them. Then I’ll replace them when I get into town the next time. I take it ye haven’t been to town yet fer yer shopping?”

She shook her head. “Nay, I was just dropping off the lasagna dinner fer Lucerne’s family. I promised I’d prepare a meal, so I did my best.”

Ben’s eyes widened. “Ye offered to prepare a meal?” He knew he’d said it wrong when her eye’s narrowed and he could see the steam building. “I mean...that is...I’m sure it will be fine,” he finished lamely. “Did ye leave enough fer us to have some at home tonight?”

He hoped the answer to that was no because the last time she’d made lasagna, the noodles had been stiff, as if they hadn’t been cooked long enough. She said she’d used the oven-ready ones and the box said they didn’t need to be cooked first. Either the box was wrong or she did something wrong, because the leftovers were even harder.

“We are all trying to pitch in and help Lucerne get through the holidays with the baby, so I felt like I needed to at least try,” Dottie replied, her voice like the frozen snow. “I am getting a little better with some things.”

“Of course, ye are,” Ben enthused, all the while wondering which dishes she was talking about. It would remain a mystery because he wasn’t going to ask.

“If ye don’t like my cooking, ye can always take over the job,” she snarked with a healthy sniff. She wiped a few loose tears off her cheeks and glared up at him. “I’ve told ye time and again that I’d trade some outdoor chores if ye wanted to be in charge of dinner.”

Ben shook his head. “We’ve been through this before, Dottie. I’m usually working outside until dinnertime, ye know that. I’m not in the house in time to prepare dishes that take early preparation and all that. At least ye’re in the house, since yer office is there,” he added helpfully. A twinge of conscious hit him. He probably could do more in the cooking department, he just didn’t think he could fit it in. Even if he wanted to.

As it was, he usually had to scrounge around for something edible after dinner. He only had himself to blame, if there was any reason to blame anyone for anything. Dottie had been perfectly clear that she wasn’t a cook right up front. And that was okay with him. He loved her just the way she was, and he wouldn’t starve just because she couldn’t cook.

His dad and Poppy usually had them up to the house for a meal or two each week, so that helped them both. Poppy was a pretty good cook. Lucerne was teaching Poppy some traditional Scottish dishes that they all loved and she was catching on fast.

It was a mystery though, that Dottie couldn’t seem to get the hang of it, even with lessons from the expert Lucerne. For such an intelligent, hardworking lass, Dottie continued to remain clueless when it came to food. A tiny, disloyal shard of thought raced through him that perhaps she intentionally didn’t learn? Shaking it off, he scolded himself for such a thought. His Dottie was honest and forthright in everything she said and did. He shouldn’t ever think such things.

“Ben?”

He shot Dottie a startled look, realizing she’d said something and his thoughts had gone walkabout. “Um...sorry. What did ye say?”

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